A wireless communication user makes and receives calls by operating a wireless communication device to exchange electromagnetic signals over the air with wireless communication networks. Some of the calls are wireless-to-wireless calls with other wireless communication users. Some of the calls are wireless-to-wireline calls or wireline-to-wireless calls with wireline communication users. The wireline communication users operate communication devices that are physically coupled wireline communication networks by a tangible connection, such as metal wires or glass fibers.
These communication networks generate Call Detail Records (CDRs) for each call. A CDR indicates the originating telephone number and the terminating telephone number for the call, among other information, such as the time of the call and possibly the communication network handling the call. Billing computers in the communication networks process the CDRs to charge users for the rendered communication services. In some cases, a communication network will offer a discount for calls between two of its own customers.
To provide this discount, the communication network maintains a list of telephone numbers for its customers. By comparing the originating and terminating telephone numbers from a given CDR to the list, the communication network can determine if the call is between two of its own customers, and then discount the call. In some cases, a group of communication networks may cooperate to share customer number lists and allow for discounts for calls within the group. Unfortunately, this type of cooperation may be difficult to obtain from all desired communication networks.
A communication user originally receives their telephone number from a communication network when they become a customer of that network. That user may then port their telephone number to another communication network. Some users continue to use their same telephone number when they leave a wireless communication network to join a wireline communication network. Other users keep their telephone number when they leave a wireline communication network to join a wireless communication network. The communication industry maintains a database that tracks these ported numbers.
To provide telephone numbers to their customers, communication networks get telephone numbers from an authorized telephone number agency. The telephone number agency provides the telephone numbers to the communication networks in blocks of 10,000. Telephone numbers are commonly represented by the alphabetic code NPA-NXX-XXXX. A 10,000 number block runs from NPA-NXX-0000 to NPA-NXX-9999 (for example from 913-555-0000 to 913-555-9999). The NPA-NXX number blocks are categorized based on their initial use. For example, one NPA-NXX block may be categorized for a type of Internet-based calling and another block may be categorized for a type of wireless calling. There are many of these categories. One example of the categories are Central Office Code (COC) categories. When a telephone number is ported, however, the category of its NPA-NXX block may no longer apply.
Overview
A calling type identification system selects a calling type. The system selects NPA-NXX telephone number blocks for the calling type based on NPA-NXX block categories related to the calling type. The system develops number data for the selected NPA-NXX telephone number blocks. The system receives a telephone number for a call. The system processes the telephone number and the number data to identify and indicate if the telephone call is of the selected calling type.